Keeping an Unclaimed Lost Item

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Question

Returning a Lost Item. A few months ago, I found a lost item on a bus, meaning I got off at the final stop and the item remained — a bag containing a children's toy. I advertised in several neighborhood bulletins. The question is whether it is permissible to use it, throw it away, or photograph and keep the image, and when the owner comes, buy a new one for them.

Answer

Hello 

After you have advertised properly, you may use or discard the item and record what you found, and when Elijah the Prophet comes and reveals to whom it belongs, you will pay the owner.

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